Hamburg-based OneGate Media has acquired global rights to distribute a pair of live-action German movies for tweens and families.

First up is Max and the Senior Squad (pictured above), which is produced by Frankfurt’s Neopol Film and slated for a domestic theatrical release in May 2024. OneGate has picked up worldwide rights, excluding German-speaking territories.

This 90-minute feature centers around a young boy being bullied at school who finds solace from an unexpected circle of friends—seven seniors living at a local retirement home. Things go awry when they try to help Max with his problems at school, resulting in hijinks and showdowns with teachers. 

Greetings From Mars

The second film to join OneGate’s portfolio, Greetings From Mars (90 minutes, pictured inset), comes from Hamburg-based MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein.

Set in a small town, it follows a 10-year-old boy who sees life in a new light after staying with his bohemian grandparents while his mom is away on a business trip. Greetings From Mars doesn’t have a German release date yet, and OneGate will sell it outside Germany, Austria and Alto Adige.

These two films join tween live-action series The Peppercorns (234 x 27 minutes) and the 93-minute adventure film Pirates Down The Street (2020) in OneGate’s live-action kids catalogue.

The German box office saw a 23% uptick in ticket sales last year, according to the country’s Federal Film Board, with US movies primarily driving this growth. However, one of the highest-grossing locally produced films of 2023 was a kids live-action feature called Die Drei ??? – Erbe des Drachen, which earned more than US$11 million.